Emmy-winning actor Sean Hayes earned an esteemed place in comedy history for his role on network TV’s first gay-character-helmed sitcom, "Will & Grace" (NBC, 1998-2006). For eight seasons, his role as the flamboyant sidekick of a straight-laced lawyer (Eric McCormack) was a favorite of viewers, and the top-rated show made great strides towards the acceptance of the gay community in the general media. Outside of his firm footing as a major player in prime time, Hayes primarily appeared in character roles on the big screen, where his wisecracking charm and impeccable comic timing were always a welcome sight.
Sean Hayes was born on June 26, 1970 and raised in Glen Ellyn, IL, a suburb of Chicago. The youngest of five children, he began studying music as a child and continued his path at Illinois State University where he majored in piano performance and conducting. While attending college, he supported himself as a classical pianist and began to venture into acting with appearances in student productions. He went on to serve as the musical director of the Pheasant Run Theater and composed original music for a Steppenwolf Theater production of "Antigone," while at the same time, honing his comedic skills at the Second City theater. In 1995, he moved to Los Angeles, where he performed stand-up comedy and landed gigs in national TV commercials and occasional TV guest spots. His big break came when he landed the leading role of a gay photographer and incurable romantic who develops a crush on a model in "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss." Managing to be both endearing and self-deprecating, he proved a charming center to the fluffy comedy and thankfully his performance was appreciated by a casting agent who attended the film’s screening at the Sundance Film Festival.
Doors opened quickly for Hayes, who was offered a major role on the new, edgy sitcom, "Will & Grace." The show was a notable landmark for being the first network sitcom to feature gay principal characters, and it surpassed expectations to become a top-rated primetime comedy and mainstay in the Nielsen Top 20 for more than half of its eight-year run. With his portrayal of self-centered and flamboyant unemployed actor Jack “Just Jack!” McFarland and gay best buddy of buttoned-up lawyer, Will (Eric McCormack), Hayes became one of the show's most popular figures, netting an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Throughout the duration of the show, he went on to earn six more consecutive Emmy nominations, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series.
Meanwhile, Hayes lent his voice to the animated feature “Cats and Dogs” (2001) and was cast as comic great Jerry Lewis in the biopic "Martin and Lewis" (CBS, 2002) a made-for-television movie following the volatile relationship between Lewis and his crooning partner and straight man, Dean Martin. Hayes came as close to capturing Lewis' spastic energy as any actor could be expected to. He earned a SAG nomination for his efforts, but his performance was weighed down by heavy-handed storytelling and lack of chemistry with miscast co-star Jeremy Northam.
Hayes dialed down the antics tremendously but still delivered a spot-on comedic performance when he played a repressed, uptight New Yorker who tangles with his neighbor (Katie Holmes) in the poorly received ensemble film, "Pieces of April" (2003). That same year, Hayes voiced the uptight computer-generated Fish in the critically reviled adaptation of "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" (2003). In 2005, Hayes split his time in front of the camera on “Will & Grace” and behind the camera as executive producer of “Situation: Comedy” (Bravo, 2005), a reality show whose mission was to discover the next great sitcom. He went on to serve as director of the top two contenders, “Sperm Donor” and “Stephen’s Life.” The following year, “Will & Grace” came to an end after eight years as an audience favorite, and Hayes remained out of sight until his 2007 supporting role in the blockbuster comedy, “The Bucket List,” where he played the long-suffering personal assistant of a crotchety old corporate tycoon (Jack Nicholson) whose life begins anew when he is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
After making his New York stage debut in a City Center production of “Damn Yankees!” Hayes lent his voice to the animated family feature “Igor” (2008) and appeared in “Soul Men” (2008) in a supporting role as the obnoxious manager of a reunited music act (Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac).